Boosting vaccination: Accelerating vaccine uptake through communication science

Abstract

Effective public health messages about vaccination can bolster human vaccine uptake to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Despite this potentiality, the One Health framework that values an interdependent approach to health has not fully considered the role of communication science in promoting public health. In this article, we offer evidence-based recommendations for health practitioners and researchers creating vaccine promotion messages. An interdisciplinary field, communication science suggests that vaccine messages can change beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors through a systematic understanding of one’s audience and targeted and tailored health messages that appeal to beliefs about the outcomes of a behavior and beliefs about an individual’s behavioral efficacy. Implications for and challenges to vaccine communication are discussed.

Keywords

• behavior change
• COVID-19 vaccine
• communication science
• persuasion
• public health